Rendering devices such as printers often utilize a client/server architecture that includes three primary components, including a client, a server and an output device. The client conveys a print and management request to the server and receives a response from the server that arises in response to requests submitted by the client. The server receives such requests from the client and performs required actions for each request and returns the responses to the client. One such request from the client is a print request, (i.e., a request to print one or more copies of one or more documents), with the printed pages output utilizing one or more features.
Print jobs sent to the printer undergo several steps to reconcile print job attributes (e.g., finishing, media color, etc.) from distinct sources (e.g., job ticket, pdt, printer queue attributes, global printer job attributes, etc.) based on a precedence model. In the precedence model, the job ticket attributes override attributes found in a print job's PDL (Page Description Language) such as, for example, PostScrip, PCL, and PDF. In some situations, the print job sent to the printer may not render as expected by a client. For example, the print jobs sent to the printer may have been stapled and/or duplexed, but the job attributes related to the print job includes non-stapled and simplex format.
Hence, in order to figure out such an unexpected job processing, various sources of job attributes related to the print job, and more particularly, the precedence model that a given DFE (digital front end) utilize to reconcile the job attributes should be known and the job processing must be manually re-derived. Similarly, in a headless printer system (e.g., a printer without a locally attached operator GUI display screen), re-deriving the job processing outcome is impossible, as the user does not have access to any printer information other than the little information that might have been printed in the print job's banner page. Also, the job attribute information may not be readily available; hence, the user does not possess the ability to figure out the unexpected job processing.
A banner page is, typically, a printed sheet that separates one print job output from another. For example, a banner page may include the name or some other uniquely identifying feature associated with the user who submitted the print job, often in an eye-catching format, so that the user can easily identify and separate his/her print job from other jobs in the printer's output tray. Traditionally, the use of such banner pages has been relatively narrow in scope and purpose, reflecting the capabilities and intended use of the shared printers.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved method and system for automatically printing smart banner pages with print job attributes in order to determine unexpected job processing and to convey general job processing information to an end-user. Such an improved method and system is described in greater detail herein.